Shifting cultivation effects on creek water quality around Barkal Upazila in Chittagong Hill Tracts,Bangladesh

Abstract： We report the effects of shifting cultivation on water quality in 16 creeks investigated once in 2007 and twice in 2008 in 16 apparently similar small neighboring watersheds, each of 3 to 5 ha, at four locations around Barkal sub-district under Rangamati District of Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. Concentrations of 5042- and K＋, and pH in creek water were lower, and NO3-N and Na＋ concentrations were higher in shifting-cultivation land compared to land with either plantation or natu- ral forest or a combination of these cover types. Shifting cultivation effects on some water quality parameters were not significant due to change in land cover of the watershed between two sampling periods either through introduction of planted tree species or naturally regenerated vegetation. Conductivity and concentrations of HCO3- PO43-, Ca2-- and Mg2＋ in creek water showed no definite trend between shifting cultivation and the other land cover types. At one area near the Forest Range Office of Barkal, creek water pH was 5.8 under land cover with a com- bination of shifting cultivation and plantation. At this area Na~ concentra- tion in shitting-cultivation land ranged from 32.33 to 33.00 mg-L＂ and in vegetated area from 25.00 to 30.50 mg.L-1 in 2007. At another area, Chaliatali Chara, SO42 concentration in a shifting-cultivation watershed ranged from 4.46 to 10.51 mg-L-1, lower than in a vegetated watershed that ranged from 11.69 to 19.98 mg.L-1 in 2007. S042-concentration in this shifting-cultivation area ranged from 1.28 to 1.37 mg.L^-1 and in the vegetated area from 1.37 to 3.50 mg-L^-1 in 2008.

Effect of land cover on water quality of creek and seepage in mountainous watershed in Bangladesh

The flowing water was collected from very small creeks and seepage water from small dug holes at three different areas,viz.Manikchari,Ghagra and Muralipara in Rangamati district of Chittagong Hill Tracts,Bangladesh to investigate the impact of the existing varied land covers on water quality.Chemical analyses shows that flowing creek water from either mature mixed plantation or young gamar（Gmelina arborea） plantation had significantly（p〈0.05） higher pH value,SO4^2-and Ca^2＋ concentrations,and significantly lower Na＋ concentration at Manikchari,compared to natural vegetation and plantation in combination.In flowing creek water of Ghagra,the concentrations of SO4^2-and K＋,conductivity and total dissolved solids from watershed of 8-year-old teak（Tectona grandis） plantation were significantly higher and the concentrations of HCO3^-,NO3^-and PO4^3-were significantly lower,compared to those of watershed of degraded natural vegetation.At Muralipara,flowing creek water from natural vegetation and shifting cultivated land in combination showed significantly higher concentrations of HCO3^-,NO3^-,Na＋,K＋,Ca^2＋ and Mg^2＋,and conductivity and total dissolved solids than seepage water as well as tube well water installed in shifting cultivated area alone.